Dim Sum delights

Sundays are by default, days for rest and to be with families and loved ones after a whole week of slugging away at work. Of course, while it is denoted the Sabbath Day and seems like the end of the week, it also actually marks the beginning of the new week.
Sounds confusing, probably not, if you were to just focus on everything's good on Sunday, that would help.

For those who are up early on Sundays (some prefer to sleep in, catching up on their lost sleep over a long working week), typically they would be on the prowl for breakfast joints everywhere; crowding the coffee shops and market stalls as they go about doing their weekly grocery shopping from the fresh market.
I am a big fan of dim sum, and the term "morning tea" enlightens that whole concept which is practiced by most Chinese communities worldwide, especially in Hong Kong and China, where you can find long queues and overcrowded tables with strangers sharing their space with each other, nudging elbows just to enjoy some quality time with their families over little plates of dim sum for breakfast on Sundays.

Thankfully, our dim sum restaurants here are not as bad; though crowded, we do not have to go to that extent to share tables or take waiting numbers for a table.

If I am back in town, occasionally we would go for dim sum breakfast at this shop located in Bandar Sg Long, Koo Hiong which is just right in the first row of shophouses after the morning market.
I have previously blogged about this here, and I still love to post about it :-)

A glimpse of what we ordered off the bamboo steamer trays hand-carried by the workers here (they looked pretty heavy to me)

Braised pork ribs with fermented beans and chilies



Siew Mai (wrapped pork dumplings topped with colored sago balls to emulate crab roe)


Steamed fish balls (the ones here are my personal favorites)



Har Gao (steamed prawn dumplings wrapped in crystal skin)


Lor Mai Kai (Glutinous rice braised in a metal bowl with chicken meat and mushrooms)


Fish paste with century egg and celery wrapped with seaweed



Steamed stuffed pork with a topping of flattened shrimp with crystal skin


Minced meat with fish paste rolled with fried bean curd sheets


Meat paste wrapped with cabbage


Homemade Hong Kong style Chee Cheong Fun; with a combination of bbq pork (char siew) and shrimps as filling


Dim sum is just a delightful way of enjoying the variety of small bites in different flavors and style.
Though it can be pricey; with each of them priced between MYR2.00-MYR5.00 per plate each (relatively higher in cost compared to having a bowl of noodles or pastries for breakfast), it is still a fun treat to indulge in once in a while.
After all, what is the price tag to put on family quality time and the laughter on the faces?
Priceless....

Dim Sum spread at Restoran Koo Hiong

The Chinese name translates to family recipes (Ka Heong), or something which was familiar to their local neighbourhood but Koo Hiong is one of the local dim sum haunts found in the bustling community of Sg Long, especially on weekends.
Well, that is also pretty much the case with most of the dim sum restaurants anyway where business booms on weekends due to the more laid-back and leisure mood for most families after a week of hard work.

This is probably my second or third visit to this place, and it is one of the choice for dim sum with my family whenever I am back for the weekend or just in the mood for a nice and enjoyable breakfast while chatting away with my family whom I see once in a while:-)

Service here is pretty good and fast, and the boss is quite friendly and accommodating to the customers as well; stopping once in a while to check on your satisfaction level and also to attend to any of your needs, besides making small chats with us.

The variety here is also pretty standard; ranging from the usual steamed items to the fried, deep fried and even porridges, buns, noodles and pastries.

Braised Spare ribs



Steamed shrimp dumplings (Har Kau)



Steamed minced meat dumplings (Siew Mai)



Steamed Fishballs



Dumplings in Soup (Sui Kow)



Unique: Fish paste rolled with seaweed, carrot and celery sticks



Another variant of seaweed rolls; with minced meat. It is quite similar to Siew Mai, so we shall call it Seaweed Siew Mai with fish roe?



Crystal steamed shrimp dumplings



Fish paste rolls with dried beancurd sheets



Despite the fill with the plates of dim sum, we still could not resist to order a plate of fried pastries for dessert especially when this was a common favorite in the family and is something that mum especially adore.

Deep fried flaky pastry with lotus paste filling (also known as Woh Peng in Cantonese)


This is a pastry typically served in birthday or wedding parties organized in Chinese restaurants and is often accompanied by a bowl of thick red bean paste or peanut paste soup.

This version is a little more flaky than the usual, but it was less oily compared to the other pastries tried before which is a good thing too, for health reasons.


The total bill came to about MYR40++ for approximately 5 pax; of course, a little pricey than the usual simple breakfast fare but for once a in a while and the quality time, it's not too bad.



I heard that they used to have this outlet in Taman Connaught; not sure whether they are still there but this one is not too easy to miss as it is strategically located near the Sg Long main market.

What do you usually like for breakfast with the family on weekends?

French Toast with Shrimps

Breakfast on a Sunday morning means crowd and fighting for parking/table space, especially if you are out during the peak hours of the morning.

An ex-housemate/varsity mate whom I am really close to was up in Penang for a visit and we agreed to meet up for dim sum breakfast on Sunday before she departs back to KL, but unfortunately the crowd was just too overwhelming for us to even find a place to stand let alone hover over a table, and I suggested to her another place where I used to frequent which had higher chances of finding a table.

It was quite crowded too, but at least there was at least a wider space in that area and we could find a table easily with no hassle. 

It's not that it is not popular, but it is just located in a more secluded area and also occupying a much larger space compared to most restaurants.

While we were busy catching up on our lives, hubby brought back the dim sum (Self-service on Sundays) for us to enjoy.

Steamed Fish Balls with beancurd sheets 

Oh, I missed this! It's really hard to find good steamed fish balls in dim sum restaurants. It's funny, really, when this is supposed to be the simplest, yet I often find versions which were either too soggy or just not fresh at all.

This, is one of my favorite versions here.

Steamed shrimp dumplings

Minced meat rolls with tomato sauce




Lady fingers stuffed with fish paste served with fermented bean sauce



Our spread of dim sum which hubby took while we were busy chatting and we did not even realize that he had taken so many of them!



What caught my eye had to be this...



This is an interesting combination of fried eggs and shrimps atop the bread; and it tastes just like French toast with shrimps.
I find this a really creative idea; although it may take some time to get used to the idea of fusion; mixing the east and the west in dim sum revolution.



What do I make of it?
Like I said, it takes a little getting used to, but it's not half that bad either.

It's interesting, and I must say, an impressive attempt by this dim sum vendor, who constantly strives to come up with bold and innovative styles of food to add to their menu.

What is your most interesting dim sum yet? ;-)

Egg Tarts and layered crusts

(From the previous post)

The egg tarts we packed from our dim sum breakfast, were a delight to my hubby especially, who is a big fan of egg tarts and likes to try out egg tarts with a reputation.

The egg tarts may look like most egg tarts which one can get from almost anywhere, but the layered crisps of the crust is one of art and culinary expertise.



I was once told by many that a good and traditional egg tart depends on really, the crust itself.
It is a skill to make the thin layers of pastries and then pile them above each other.
The egg pudding must be yellow and soft yet sweet in taste accompanied by the light fluffy layers of the crispy base.
I am not sure how true this attributes to judging the quality of an egg tart, but I definitely agree that the light, crispy, and layered crust is no easy feat.

It must be light, soft, yet maintaining the crisp texture to maintain the crunchy taste but at the same time, to be able to hold the weight of the dense texture of the steamed egg pudding.

This egg tart definitely has it all; according to hubby, and definitely one of the better ones he had tried.
So, the verdict?
I am bookmarking the dim sum restaurant for my future visits to Hawaii, or O'ahu for that matter :-)

Any other tip you have to share on what makes the best egg tarts?;)

Chinese Dim Sum in O'ahu

If you were to read any guide on what to eat in Hawaii, you may find that Chinese food tops the list of the most recommended for visitors to this state.
Although I initially laughed at the idea of traveling for more than a few thousand miles to enjoy something I have or can easily find in my homeland, I still could not resist trying out the cuisine at some of the restaurants/cafes.

When I was in Chinatown, I was having a hard time deciding between the number of Chinese restaurants available in this place as most of them were crowded.
However, one particularly crowded restaurant within the Cultural Plaza caught my attention and I came back the next day early in the morning for breakfast.

Tai Pan Dim Sum restaurant


A good thing that I was early too, as I was able to get a good spot and enjoy the full attention of the serving waitress, who was actually a Hongkie.
I did most of the ordering as I conversed with her in Cantonese, and even asked for her recommendations.


It is not hard though, as their large menus are displayed and the waitress is ready to explain the dim sum available for selection.



Also, like most of the dim sum restaurants in my country, there are ordering cards available for the servers to keep track of the types and number of the dim sum ordered by each table/customer.



We did not have to wait long as we were served almost immediately after our orders were taken, or as soon as the waitress left our table.
The prices of the dim sum are similar to back home; except that over here, I would have take the currency conversion rate into consideration of course, and that makes it three times the price at home!
That sounds really expensive, honestly, for at the multiplication of the price, I could have had three different types of dim sum already for the price of this one basket here.

I was cleared of my doubts when the bamboo baskets holding my dim sum were put down on my table.
Alright, first, the size of the baskets were definitely superior to those I have seen in my country, and the size/portion of the dim sum; also seemed enlarged.

Fresh prawn dumplings with fish roe (Har Mai) - USD$2.80


The freshwater prawns used were just so good; large in size, juicy and succulent in taste.



Prawn Dumplings


Chives with prawn dumplings


Steamed BBQ pork buns


The portions proved to be more than enough for the both of us, but the most important part is how we enjoyed the dim sum.

It's good, I tell you, in fact, it has been some time since I have had dim sum of such quality; which could probably be that from a renowned Chinese restaurant with a hefty price to pay back at home.
Yes, I fell in love with the prawn dumplings; which was probably one of the best I have tried so far, and I am really picky with the way my prawn dumplings should be like.
The dim sum here definitely got my stamp of approval!

My cup of tea, without any question :)

We were stuffed but happy when we left the restaurant.

Oh, not without a bag of freshly baked traditional egg tarts to take away, as hubby is a fan of these yellow delights.


To be continued with the egg tarts....

Hope Star Coffee and Cate

A trip to a Chinese populated country is not complete without as much a taste of the local Chinese flavors.
Sure , it was a treat to be pampered by all the indulgent and aromatic home-served hot food directly from the kitchen and specially prepared by a local no less; but still nothing beats that fun of navigating your way through the streets relying on the hopeless street guides and just taking your pick like you were blindfolded. I am sure you get what I meant by that; especially when you are on travel.

I am not complaining that I get the comforts of home cooking; which I must consistently emphasize, as I did enjoy a tad bit of the local tastes scouring the streets of Shanghai, Hangzhou and Suzhou in my earlier posts albeit some of the rather unpleasant meals which I wish to just push to the back of my mind so that it is conveniently forgotten but I did too found the ones that I could sing praises for; though tarnished by the image of the dining environment.
Well, there you go, one can't expect the best of both worlds, and a culinary journey through Asia is one of the most exotic and tantalizing; if not the most fulfilling for the bravest of the gastronomic explorers.

It was then on the day that I was about to board the plane that my mind floated to this matter and with a rumbling empty stomach since our early awakening from 4 in the morning for the two-hour ride to the international airport here in Pudong to meet the check-in time, we were immediately drawn to a dainty little cafe located near our terminal.
Free of our gigantic luggages (well, they seemed to have grown in size since we first packed them) though we still have some hand luggages and an hour or so to kill, we made a beeline to the vacant cafe.

Hope Star Coffee and Cate; nope, it is not Cafe, but rather it is really a capital T there and it is no spelling mistake either. I can verify for that, as Cate, is a word used for ' a choice or dainty food; or a delicacy' as defined in the dictionary.
I was quite impressed with the usage of the word Cate here; as though I knew of its existence, I have not come across anyone using this word at all to describe what they were selling; to sum it all up in brevity and clarity and it was exactly what Hope Star was conveying to all the potential customers.
I'd say, a really good name for a place that serves coffee and simple delicacies to tempt the appetites of the weary travellers loitering around the terminal, waiting for their flight; and may I say, Cate is just exactly what I am looking for to polish my overall trip to China.

A bowl of hot udon noodles with seafood in soup sounded exceptionally appealing when one is running away from the cold winter weather outside the airport and the purportedly turned up A/C inside the airport and the tastes of the noodles just did not disappoint.





Realizing that we did not really get a good taste of the Chinese dim sum, that fact was no longer intact with the discovery of dim sum on the menu here; though the choice were not aplenty.

Har Gao/Shrimp Dumplings were one of the few choices, and I knew I had to have them (I am devoted to this!)
It took a few more minutes for this arrive and I take comfort in the fact that the extra time was for the making of this dim sum rather than shoving the ready made ones sitting there in the freezer into the microwave for an instant heat booster.



The price difference was huge from the first glance at the menu; and I can say that it was a few times more than what I would normally pay for a decent basket of this back home but the size of the bamboo basket used to serve this seemed to challenged that of my usual ones when it arrived.
Yes, we are talking about a giant-sized dim sum basket; if there was ever one and I wondered whether there is a need for such exaggeration to prove to me that the prices charged were worthwhile. *Laughs*

To be fair, basket size aside, the dumplings were indeed larger in size too; which did compensate for that exaggerated factor earlier and I am pleased to see of this place; compared to some of the extortions and throat wrangling prices versus food and eating outlets in airports, which I am sure many have had encounters with.

The shrimps were alright; fresh but the outer skin was just a little too thick and mushy for my liking, but it was a decent effort of a highly publicized dim sum. After all, we have grown with stereotypical minds setting that rule that the best local food are never to be found in places like the airport, and we just can't get away with it.

However, there is always an exception to every rule and I must say that of this place; Hope Star which serves nice food and offers excellent service to their customers. Prices may be a little more than what one can expect of the local eateries in the town; but hey, this is the best one can get when one is traveling or about to take off.
I'd say we were lucky and it was probably fate that I managed to grace my trip to be able to say that I have tried even dim sum from China; the place of the origins of the Chinese cuisines, to say the least.